I've been there

I've been there

By May Kwek

“Look at that land over there”

The others with me cried

“It looks so bare, so empty

Hidden from the light”

“Who goes there?” They asked

And a voice answered from the air

“Those who don’t belong

Are banished over there”

A shiver went down their spines

And they stayed away

The barren land a haunting memory

Every single day

They huddled together in groups

Each trying to be the same

To not belong was a horror

A fear without a name!

So anyone who couldn’t be

Who just wouldn’t belong

Were cast aside quickly

For indeed, they must be wrong!

So no one noticed when I left

Never to return

Except the voice who whispered to me

“Why won’t you learn?”

“See that land over there?

It’s desolate and cold

The chill bites not your bones

But even your soul”

“You will be sent there soon

If you don’t hurry and join the rest

It’s easy, just be the same

And your true self repress”

I turned to reply

And the voice seemed surprised

As I turned towards the land

And a smile met my eyes

“Oh Fear,” I replied

To that voice in the air

“You can’t scare me with that

You see, I’ve been there”

Copyright © 2018 by May Kwek